“Rafa was the big one”: Sára Bejlek's Cincinnati breakthrough has a familiar inspiration
WTASaturday, 22 August 2026 at 06:30
Sára Bejlek is beginning to turn Cincinnati into the tournament where her fighting spirit has become impossible to ignore. The 20-year-old Czech came from a set and a break down to defeat Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), reaching the first WTA 1000 semifinal of her career after another match in which she refused to let a difficult position dictate the outcome.
The victory followed an even bigger statement in the previous round, when Bejlek defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Her run has now also included wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova, giving her four victories over established opponents before reaching the last four in Cincinnati.
Against Keys, the Czech had to recover from 3-6, 1-3 and later saw a 4-1 advantage disappear in the deciding set. She still held her nerve in the final stages, winning the deciding tiebreak 7-5 and converting her first match point after two hours and 37 minutes. Keys finished with 47 unforced errors and six double faults, but Bejlek's ability to remain competitive through the swings of the match was equally important.
The result moves Bejlek to No. 29 in the live WTA rankings, another major step in a season that already includes her first WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi. Her reward in Cincinnati is a semifinal against either Coco Gauff or Marta Kostyuk, with another chance to push her ranking and establish herself as one of the breakthrough players of the summer.
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Bejlek's biggest weapon may be her mentality
The most revealing part of Bejlek's Cincinnati run may not be any individual result, but how she has responded when matches have started moving away from her. Against Keys, she admitted that she eventually stopped trying to follow a specific tactical plan and instead trusted her instincts.
“I just played how I felt. I didn't think much about what I was supposed to do or what my coach told me before the match. I forgot everything as soon as I stepped onto the court. I played by feel, and that was probably the main key,” Bejlek said in her on-court interview.
That mentality was also evident when Keys recovered the 4-1 deficit in the third set. Rather than focusing on the lost advantage, Bejlek said she tried to treat each point as an isolated moment. “I was telling myself, ‘Good ball.’ I got in, I didn't make it, and I wasn't very passive. I just got in. It didn't go in. It's OK. Nothing happened. Let's go another point.”
The approach is particularly notable given the stage she is now reaching. Bejlek is playing her first WTA 1000 semifinal after arriving in Cincinnati with a growing reputation, but she has not allowed the scale of her recent victories to change her preparation. After beating Sabalenka, she deliberately treated the following morning as a reset rather than an opportunity to celebrate her biggest win.
“I kept enjoying yesterday, and today when I woke up, I was like, ‘OK, it's a new day. Anything can happen.’ Let's focus on what is today at 1 p.m. and don't focus on anything else. This happened, and let's keep fighting again,” she explained.
There is another influence behind that mentality that Bejlek was happy to discuss. Asked about the players who inspired her growing up, she immediately named Rafael Nadal. “Rafa was the big one who inspired me a lot. I watched him when I was little, so he was the one who inspired me,” she said.
That connection feels particularly appropriate during a week in which Bejlek has repeatedly been forced to fight through difficult situations rather than simply dominate from the start. She will now have another opportunity to demonstrate that resilience against Gauff or Kostyuk, with a place in the Cincinnati final and a potential move further inside the world's top 30 at stake.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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